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Vital Signs
Chapter 5
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Auscultation | A method of listening to sounds within an organ with a stethoscope. |
| AVPU Scale | A method of assessing level of consciousness by determining whether the patient is awake and alert, responsive to verbal stimuli or pain, or unresponsive; used principally early in the assessment. |
| Blood Pressure (BP) | The pressure of circulation blood against the walls of the arteries. |
| Bradycardia | Slow heart rate, less than 60 beats/min. |
| Capillary refill | The ability of the circulatory system to restore blood to the capillary system; evaluated by using a simple test. |
| Chief Complaint | The reason a patient called for help, Also, the patient's response to questions such as "What's wrong?" or "What happened?" |
| Conjunctiva | The delicate membrane lining the eyelids and covering the exposed surface of the eye. |
| Cyanosis | A bluish-gray skin color that is caused by reduced levels of oxygen in the blood. |
| Diaphoretic | Characterized by profuse sweating. |
| Diastolic pressure | The pressure that remains in the arteries during the relaxing phase of the heart's cycle (diastole) when the left ventricle is at rest. |
| Hypertension | Blood pressure that is higher than the normal range. |
| Hypotension | Blood pressure that is lower than the normal range. |
| Jaundice | A yellow skin or sclera color that is caused by liver disease or dysfunction. |
| Labored breathing | Breathing that requires visibly increased effort; characterized by grunting, stridor, and use of accessory muscles. |
| OPQRST | An abbreviation for key terms used in evaluating a patient's signs and symptoms; onset, provocation or palliation, quality, region/radiation, severity, and timing of pain. |
| Perfusion | Circulation of blood within an organ or tissue. |
| Pulse | The pressure wave that occurs as each heartbeat causes a surge in the blood circulating through the arteries. |
| Pulse oximetry | An assessment tool that measure oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the capillary beds. |
| SAMPLE history | A brief history of a patient's condition to determine signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, pertinent past history, last oral intake, and events leading to the injury or illness. |
| Sclera | The white portion of the eye. |
| Signs | Objective findings that can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, or measured. |
| Sniffing position | An unusually upright position in which the patient's head and chin are thrust slightly forward. |
| Spontaneous respirations | Breathing in a patient that occurs with no assistance. |
| Stridor | A harsh, high-pitched, crowing inspiratory sound, such as the sound often heard in cute laryngeal (upper airway) obstruction. |
| Symptoms | Subjective findings that the patient feels but that can be identified only by the patient. |
| systolic pressure | The increased pressure along an artery with each contraction (systole) of the ventricles. |
| Tachycardia | Rapid heart rhythm, more than 100 beats/min. |
| Tidal volume | The amount of air that is exchanged with each breath. |
| Tripod position | An upright position in which the patient leans forward onto two arms stretched forward and thrusts the head and chin forward. |
| Vasoconstriction | narrowing of a blood vessel |
| Vital Signs | The key signs that are used to evaluate the patient's overall condition, including respirations, pulse, blood pressure, level of consciousness, and skin characteristics. |
Created by:
azoch
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